The Kind Guardian
by FluerDeLeis
Summary: Pitch is back, and this time he is stronger than ever. The Guardians will need a new ally in order to defeat the nightmare king, and the help comes in the form of a new guardian, a girl named MayFlower.
1. Chapter 1

"Cold..." She whispered to herself, hugging the threadbare blanket around her tighter. "So Cold..."

It was the coldest Thanksgiving in years. Inside, families talked and laughed in the comfort of their fires and hearths. They had no idea the pain of those with no flame to tend to. They had no idea of what it was like for the young girl at the street corner. Snowflakes fell around the young girl delicately, coming to rest in her auburn hair. A gust of icy wind blew by her, almost tearing the worn blanket from her shoulders.

In front of her, people passed by infrequently, all ignoring the freezing child on the street corner. A woman in a fur coat walked slowly in front of her, and the child held out her hands in a plea for something, anything to eat or keep herself warm with.

The woman in the white fur coat regarded her for a moment, then walked on, the sound of her heels clicking on the frozen sidewalk.

The girl wanted to cry with disappointment, but she didn't allow herself. After all, she should count herself lucky. Many others had nothing but the clothes on their back to guard against the cold. At least she had a blanket. She should be thankful, and count her blessings, just like the Thanksgiving spirit.

The red head watched as the snowflakes descended to earth, her breath coming out in wispy sighs. So far, every person she had met had given her nothing but a blank stare and a turned back.

"So much for the giving spirit" She muttered humourlessly to herself.

She stood, wincing at the ice that chilled her bare feet. She clung the blanket closer around her, relishing in the little warmth it provided. She began walking down the street, to hopefully find a more frequented corner or a warm step to rest on.

As she passed by an alley, she heard a whimper. She turned, bleary eyes searching for the origin of the cry. They came to rest on a huddled form next to a trash can. She came closer, kneeling next to the freezing child.

The little boy looked up at her for a moment, then let out a cry and sheid away from her.

"Shh, hey, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay" She assured him, but he only continued to cry. She stopped and looked at the child, huddled into himself, toes blue from cold, not even shivering, so far was he into a state of hypothermia.

"Here is someone who is truly cold." She thought to herself, a different thought occurring to her at the same time. "He needs this blanket more than I do."

She hesitated. This blanket was her only hope of staying warm. But, at the same time, this boy needed it so much more than she did. He was probably dying from the cold as the thoughts swam in her head.

Without any other thoughts, she took the blanket from her shoulder and put it over the freezing boy. Big, bambi like eyes looked up at her curiously. She merely smiled. "Don't worry, this will keep you warm." She tried to keep the shiver out of her voice.

With that said, she stood, clutching her bare arms in an effort to keep herself from shivering. She stood at the entrance to the alley, regarding the boy for a moment.

"Even if I don't have much to give, at least i can help somebody's thanksgiving." She muttered to herself.

She turned, wandering into the snow.

The last thing she saw, as she lay dying in the snow, was the moon, bright and beautiful.


	2. Chapter 2

My body felt heavy. weighed down with the feeling of a silent stillness that crept over the bones and clung there for what seemed like an era.

It was dark, and silent. Yet I could feel a strange pull, and silent voice telling me to _wake up _ to _open my eyes._ I tried to move, but it was so hard, my body was so stiff, so still i couldn't lift a finger.

_"What is this?" _ I thought to myself. _"What's wrong with me? Why cant I move?"_

Yet the silent voice, the ull was there again. Telling me "Wake up!" To open my eyes to what I couldn't see. I knew I had to. I didn't have any other choice except to remain her in eternal stillness, unable to move, unable to do anything except float in the darkness that surrounded me, and seemed to soak into my very being.

Yet I wasn't afraid.

The darkness was comforting, familiar somehow, as if I had resided in it for a long time.

Wake up. The voice was more insistent this time. _Wake up..!_

My eyelids felt like they had weights on them. I tried, but they wouldn't open, as if the darkness that surrounded me had no wish to release me. But I knew, that someway, somehow, I had to open my eyes.

The light that peeked through my half-closed eyes seemed so bright that I couldn't stand it. Yet as I opened my eyes further, I saw it.

The Moon.

It was beautiful, so big and so large, hanging with dozens of stars in the ink black sky. I was so entranced by it I didn't notice my feet coming to rest on solid ground. I was in a feild of wheat, golden, ripe wheat.

I stared at the moon, as if somehow it would answer the question as to why I was here.

And it did.

_**"Your name is MayFlower. You are the Fairy of Thanksgiving. Your duty is to teach children the value of kindness. I bestow upon you powers of the Harvest Moon and of Autumn. Now pick up your staff"**_

I stood in awe, looking at the moon. Had it realy just spoken? What did it mean "Fairy of Thanksgiving?" Mayflower...that was my name...

I was pretty sure I had a name before that, but I couldn't remember it now. As for the staff...

A peice of wood caught my toe, and I glanced down, seeing a peice of old wood in the shape of a harvesting staff before me. I picked it up and cradled it, like it was something precious.

The wheat around me waved in the night wind. I spun around, noticing my surroundings for the first time. Where was I? How did I get here? I looked to the moon, as if it would give me the answers I desired, but it remained silent.

Accidentally, my staff brushed a stray piece of half-grown wheat, and instantly, it grew to be fully ripe, golden, ready to be harvested.

I stared down at my hands. I did that? Me?

As if to make sure, I touched another peice of wheat. The same thing happened. My smile grew to spread across my face. I had powers! I laughed and touched another piece of wheat, then another, until I was dancing, ripe, golden wheat spreading from the touch of my hands.

When I was done, the entire field was a glow with the wheat I had ripened with my hands.

I glanced down at the ground, and noticed for the first time the clothes I had on. A simple dress, with puffed sleeves that flared to my elbows, the skirt going to my knees, and a ribbon tied around my waist. I wore no shoes. I shook my head in disbelief, noticing for the first time I had something on my head. I reached up and felt the softness of a cotton cap there, a small bow pinned to the side of it. My hair was cut short in honey colored, wispy curls that framed my face and fell to the nape of my neck. I felt positively adorable.

The moon hung above me, large and shining,a faint orange tint to it. I stared up at it and smiled. "Thank you moon." I whispered. "For telling me who I am."

The man in the moon seemed to wink back at me.


	3. Chapter 3

It began with Toothania first.

At first it was just a bad thought, a shadow in her mind. She had been taking a nap, one that was needed after going many a night without sleep, tending to her duties as Tooth Fairy. As she had closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, an unpleasant thought occurred to her, a shadow at the edge of her thoughts.

What would happen if she failed at her duties as Tooth Fairy?

Soon, the faces of many children began swimming in her mind, each one just as distraught as the one before.

_"You let us down!_" They chanted _"All our precious memories will never come back!_"

She watched as the children matured, grew to be adults, lost their way, forgot what was important, and didn't have the memories to regain their path. She watched as the pursued the wrong roads, and began in the wrong direction, as did their children. She watched as an entire generation crumbled, leaving a society wicked and heartless.

She had woke screaming, tears in her eyes, trembling in positive _Fear._

Bunnymund felt it next. he was prone to sleeping very often, as the Easter Bunny had no other duties save those that arised the few days before Easter,and on the morning of Easter Sunday. It was to no surprise he was struck next.

His dreams were that of children. He dreamed of those he served, of those he loved. He dreamed of a familiar ankle biter, as he liked to call them. Sophie was older now, and he made a point of visiting her and her brother every Easter. He enjoyed her company, and had a special soft spot for her. His dreams that night were of a warm afternoon in the company of the girl, smiling and letting her rub his velvet soft ears.

But in a moment, her face turned to horror, and before he could ask her what was wrong, she let forth a blood curling scream that chilled him to his bones. Her face began to melt, revealing the muscle and sinew underneath the flesh. She cried, holding her hands to her face, screaming at him,and he could only shake in fear as his favorite child died in front of him.

He made a point of watching her dream that night, to guard her against whatever evil thoughts lurked in her mind.

North felt it as well. Asleep one night, he dreamed of his friends, smiling and laughing. He laughed with them, at some unknown joke, just happy they could all be together with each other, happy.

He remembered looking at Jack, and seeing an expression of terror. The boy's lips moved ever so slightly.

"No...rth.."

Before he could say anything else, the boy's ice blue eyes darkened to black, and North watched in horror as the shadows spread along his skin, consuming the pale flesh into utter darkness. jack screamed and writhed, clutching his face in pure agony. He turned to warn his friends, but saw that they too, was begun to undergo the metamorphosis. He could only watch helplessly as they were consumed by dark sand and let out final screams of pure torture before the sand blew away, leaving nothing but a sprinkling of black dust behind.

It took days for him to forget that dream, and even then, the fear still lingered behind.

Sandy saw it in the others.

After being destroyed by Pitch Black, Sandy still retained pained memories of the arrow striking his back, of the painful feeling of his body being turned to dust. It was he that noticed the change in his friends, the hesitation and surprise at every shadow, at every movement out of the corner of their eyes.

Sandy didn't sleep. He was too busy giving children pleasant dreams nightly, whatever time of the year. He noticed it in the dreams of his children. Even without the boogeyman's touch, their dreams began to turn dark, and they themselves began to spawn their own nightmares. But it seemed that even with that, their nightmares had begun to turn more frequent. Small, dark creations made by the small dark poisoning in their minds. He could only watch helplessly as his magic couldn't seem to cure their fears and dark desires that came to haunt them while they slept.

It was the worst for Jack

He had more fears than any other of the guardians. He had nightmares since he had become Jack Frost about that fateful night under the water, the darkness and the cold that was present there. he was afraid of that darkness, that impenetrable shadow that no light could reach. That was his deepest,darkest fear, and he knew it well.

Now, it seemed to come to him tenfold. The Guardian began to see shadows that weren't there, fear the ice under his feet when standing n water, even begin to fear ice itself, something unavoidable when you are the master of frost.

Everything seemed to set him on edge. Loud noises, sudden movements, it would all surprise him and make him fear for himself.

He knew it was pitch. So did the others. But they knew, they couldn't fight him as long as he was in their minds.


	4. Chapter 4

"Jack, Jack! Watch this!"

the Ice guardian had been daydreaming, shadows and darkness lurking in his thoughts. Sophie's voice startled him from his trance. He spun on his tree branch, half expecting a shadow to be lurking at the edge of the frozen pond, ready to pounce on the child. Instead, Jamie's sister beamed up at him, a wide smile etched across her face.

"I've been practicing my spin, look!" She skated on the rim on the pond, gaining speed until she dug the heel of her blade into the ice and executed a perfect twirl.

From the side of the pond, Jamie clapped. "Excellent job." He called out to his sister, then turned to Jack, his teenage face smiling in satisfaction.

Jack returned the smile, and looked back at Sophie, who was trying the maneuver again, this time with more speed. This only resulted in her falling on her bottom. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Jamie half-leap forward, then stop himself. As jamie had grown, he had become protective of his little sister, to a point that it often embarrassed her.

Jack leaped down from his tree branch, offering his staff as a helping hand to the child. Sophie smiled up and him, and was soon back on her feet. As soon as she was steady, Jack bowed to her. "May I have this dance, my Lady?" he asked mockingly.

Sophie managed a curtsy and giggled. "Certainly, my Lord."

Jck took her hand and spun her, making her squeal with surprise. He let her circle around him, and she stumbled over her skates, almost falling, but ending up in Jack's arms before she hit the ice.

Sophie laughed and reached up, ruffling Jack's snowy white hair. "Such a gentleman!" She giggled. Jack beamed back at her, forgetting his nightmares for a happy moment.

"Jack." Jamie's tone caught the guardian's attention. The teenager was looking at the sky. Jack followed his gaze, watching as lights danced in the sky towards the direction of the north pole.

Jack squinted at the sky, a serious expression on his face. He turned back to the pair, smiling half heartedly. "Sorry guys, gotta go. Duty calls."

Sophie skated toward him, wrapping her arms around his torso. "Good Luck." She whispered. Jamie gave the guardian a salute. "Go get 'em tiger."

Jack gave them both a grateful look before launching himself into the air, letting the wind blow him over states and countries. He watched towns and cities pass by below him absent mindedly. If North called the Guardian's together, it could only mean one thing:

Pitch was back.


	5. Chapter 5

North watched the moon as he waited for his comrades to arrive. A mild panic tingled in his thoughts,that they might have encountered the King of Darkness along the way, and would never make their arrival to the pole.

The Guardian of wonder swept the thought away, though it still lingered in the back of his mind.

A sprinkling of gold dust caught North's attention. He looked up to the window, to see the sandman entering via one of his golden dust clouds.

Inside, North sighed with relief. At least Sandy was here.

Next to him, the ground fell away into a sink hole, where a pair of ears popped out and twitched cautiously. Aster peeked over the edge of his sink hole and then jumped out, brushing the stray specks of dirt out of his fur.

North patted the Easter Bunny on the shoulder heavily, making the rabbit flinch. "Good to see you, friend!" he laughed jovially.

"Yeah, yeah." Bunnymund replied, looking around suspiciously. "Where ah the othahs eh?"

Had he been looking at North, he would have seen a glimmer of panic in the guardian's eyes. "'dey are probably just a little late. 'der is a blizzard outside, if you have not noticed."

The rabbit huffed. He didn't get a chance to respond, for suddenly there were tiny faeries darting around him, nuzzling him and trying to get a glimpse of his rabbit teeth.

"Go away" he told them "Little buggers" he added, under his breath.

There was quick chattering, a high, feminine voice quickly rattled off cities to a group of faeries as she came in through the window. "Oh, and don't you dare forget Moscow. I know that you don't like the cold, but honestly, you can't ignore the children."

The group of faeries made s series of high pitched sounds before each flew in an opposite direction. Toothania turned to the group. "So sorry I'm late" she gushed. "It seems like there are more kids than ever losing their teeth today!"

North began to speak, but a cold gust of air stopped him. The guardians watched as the spirit of ice and snow himself descended from the window.

"Okay, just to let you know, the snow and wind outside was NOT me" Jack claimed,shaking snow out of his pure white hair. "So what is this all about?"

A smile tugged at the corner of North's mouth. He had waited for this. He put a hand on jack's shoulder and pointed to the moon, just visible through the ice and snow. "Man in Moon has decided." he turned to the rest of the guardians. "'Tis time to choose new guardian."

There were various gasps and murmurs, Jack himself stared in awe up at the moon.

"But, who?" Aster interrupted. "And more importantly, why?"

North's face fell into a frown, his eyebrows drawing together with concern. "Pitch" He whispered.

There was dead silence in the hall. Even the elves and yetis became still at the word.

After a few moments, Jack spoke: "Th-that's impossible! It should have taken hundreds of years for him to rise up again!"

North nodded. "I know, Jack, I know. But Man in Moon told me that the boogeyman is still out there, still a threat. Worse yet, he isn't targeting de children." he stopped, and turned to face all the guardians at once. "He is targeting us."

"B-but why?" Toothania gasped. "What is the point in that?"

"Manny did not reveal dat much" North replied. "He probably does not know"

Aster sighed in frustration. "What about this new guardian then, who are they? How are they supposed to help us?"

Toothania raised her hand. "Hi,excuse me, but I thought it was a rule that we only choose a new guardian every century? It has only been ten years since we chose the last one."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures" North replied, turning to a console and pressing a series of codes into the board. The crystal that was used to select Jack slowly rose up to meet a beam of moonlight. The crystal glowed with energy,and the guardians watched as the glow settled into the form of a girl holding her hands clasped close to her chest.

There was silence for a moment, then Aster spoke. "Uh, mate? Who is that?"

"Osen dukha" North whispered. "Autumn Spirit"

"...who?"

"Her name is Mayflower" Jack spoke up. "I've met her before, briefly. Last autumn, when I got in trouble with her for frosting some of her 'artwork'" he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I mean, honestly, how can a bunch of leaves be a peice of artwork?"

"-Get on with it, mate." Aster grumbled grumpily.

The ice spirit stuck his tongue out at Aster. "She claims she is the spirit of Autumn and harvest."

North stroked his beard in thought. "She is a young spirit, I know dat much. She has only been around for a hundred years or so."

Toothania cocked her head in curiosity. "Then why would Manny choose her? She's so young!"

"You were young as well, when Manny chose you, Tooth." Bunnymund spoke softly.

North turned to Jack. "Jack, as 'de newest guardian, you should be de one to retrieve de girl."

The snow guardian stuck out his bottom lip, feigning sadness. "Fine." He sighed. "She'll probably recognize me anyways, so i guess its best that I go"

North laughed and clapped him on the back. "Haha, 'Dat's de spirit my boy! Go get 'er, eh?"

Jack's lips tugged into a sliver of a smile. He reached into his pocket and took out a snow globe, tossing it with expertise at a nearby wall, where it exploded into a million different colors. Jack gave his team mates a cheeky smile and a salute before leaping into the portal, being whisked to goodness knows where.


	6. Chapter 6

Meanwhile, somewhere in upper New York sat a girl in the branches of an old, old maple tree. Somehow, over the years, Mayflower had grown to call this tree home. Every autumn the tree would burst into dozens of shades of orange and rusty red. The feild it sat in would turn golden, the long stalks of grass swaying in the cool late summer breeze. In the evenings, such as this one, the sun would set behind the trees that stood as silent sentinels at the edge of the feild. Mayflower would watch the sunset until her eyelids grew heavy and she would drift off to sleep.

And then...she would dream.

Except for tonight, when pleasant dreams turned to thoughts of shadows.

It was dark, it was cold. Mayflower could feel the darkness surrounding her, impeding on her. It was so dense, so pericing it seemed to stab straight through her soul. Mayflower curled tigheter into herself, as if to protect her body from the shadows that surrounded her.

Memories came to her in glimpses: Darkness, the weight of her body, and the chill that sent shivers up her spine.

It was dark, and it was frightening.

_"But you aren't alone."_

Mayflower's eyes shot open, only to find herself still trapped in in-penetrable darkness.

"W-who's there?" She called out fearfully.

A soft, low chuckle echoed behind her, sending chills racing along her spine. Mayflower clutched desperately to her crook. She could feel warm breath on the nape of her neck. She dared to turn around, for fear of what she would find there.

Gentle, but frigid hands were at her neck. Mayflower froze, a choked whimper escaping her lips.

_"Shh, shhh._" the voice cooed. _"There is nothing to fear. From me, at least."_ The hands snaked up her face, cupping her cheeks in thier cold palms. _"It is the darkness you must fear, my dear. Not me."_

Mayflower shivered, the cold pricking her skin and making it difficult to focus.

"_Do you feel it?_" the voice asked excitedly. _"Do you feel the adrenaline, the terror of being helpless? Isn't it exhilarating?"_

Lips were at Mayflower's ear. _"Relish it, let it feed your soul. Lose yourself in it."_

Mayflower squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to block out the whispers, the entreats. "Go away." She whispered. "Leave me alone."

The voice chuckled again. _"Oh, but my dear, you see, you'll never be alone."_

another voice seemed to float into Mayflower's consciousness. This one urgent, desperate.

_"Hey...Hey! Hey, wake up! Can you hear me? Wake up!"_

Mayflower's eyes opened abruptly, and her body lurched forward, arms hugging herself. Beside her sat a familiar boy, with pure white hair and wide blue eyes full of concern.

Sweat beaded Mayflower's forehead. Her shoulders shook at an invisible chill. Everything seemed to be pressing down on her, enclosing her.

Jack reached out a gentle hand to touch the girl. Just when his fingers brushed her skin she let out a surprised scream, thinking it was once again the strange shadow that darkened her dreams.

"Hey! Easy, calm down, it's just me." Jack tried to soothe her. "May? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Mayflower squeezed her eyes shut, hugging herself tightly. She took deep, even breaths until eventually she was able to open her eyes again, and look at Jack.

"Jack?" She asked, unsure. "What are you doing here?"

Jack let out a releived sigh. "What the heck was that? Are you okay? You were shaking and screaming."

Mayflower let out a sigh,rubbing her arms in an attempt to stay warm. "Yeah, I just...had a bad dream."

Jack's eyes narrowed, but he left the matter alone. "Well, are you alright?"

Mayflower nodded, not bothering to look Jack in the eyes. Instead, she faked a smile and look up at him. "So, how are you? I haven't seen you since last November."

Jack rubbed his head sheepishly. "Yeah...well...about that."

Mayflower looked up at him expectantly.

Jack looked at her with a nervous smile. "Um...would you beleive me if I said you were wanted at Santen Clausen?"

Mayflower didn't react for a moment, then burstout laughing. "No, I wouldn't beleive you, why?"

Jack smiled and gave a shrug of his shoulders.

The smile faded from mayflower's face. "Wait, you mean...Really?"

The frost spirit nodded. "Yup."

Mayflower stared at Jack for a moment before quirking an eyebrow. "What for?"

Jack smiled mischeivously "That's the surprise." He reached out and grabbed Mayflower's hand. "Now come on, you're keeping everyone waiting!"

"Everyone?" The Autumn fairy echoed. "Who is-EEP!" She squeaked in fright as she suddenly found herself hovering above her tree, in Jack's arms. "Wh-wha...?"

Jack grinned devilishly down at her. "Ready for a ride?" he asked, and not waiting for an answer yelled: "Wind! Take us to the pole!"

At jack's words a feirce wind began to blow, strong enough to begin blowing Jack and Mayflower northward. The Breeze tilted Mayflower's cap, and she squirmed to get an arm free so she could keep it on her head. This only resulted in her wiggling out of Jack's grip and plummeting to Earth.

"May!" jack screamed, chasing after her, catching her bridal style just before she hit the ground. After a moment, he burst out in laughter. "Well, that was fun!"

Mayflower reached up to secure her cap, a dark blush spreading across her face. "That was terrifying!" She yelped.

Jack laughed. "You have to loosen up, May. Have some fun!" As he spoke, he let his grip slide a little, making Mayflower slip. The girl screamed and clung to the Ice spirit's neck.

"Stop it!" She cried, her blush increasing. "I'll make Autumn 3 weeks longer if you don't stop that right now, Jack Frost!"

Jack merely laughed. "Okay, okay, just hold on tight, alright?"

Mayflower nodded, pressing herself closer to Jack. As the wind once again began to pull them to Santef Clausen, Mayflower felt her eyes once again grow heavy, and darkness consume her. Just before she fell asleep, a voice seemed to echo in her thoughts:

_"You are never alone."_

**Authors notes:**

**I'd like to thank everyone for thier feedback on this so far. It was a short chater, and kinda crappy, and I'll probably go back later and fix it, but for now it'll have to do.**

**Thank you!**


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